Car-brake



(Nd Model.)

- J. L. BLACK.

OAR BRAKE.

Patented July 6, 1897.

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UNTTE STATES ATENT OF ICE.

JOHN L. BLACK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,648, dated July 6,1897.

Application filed December 19, 1896. Serial No. 616,275. (No model.)

T0 rtZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN L. BLACK, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, haveinvented a certain new and useful 1mprovement in Oar-Brakes, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The question of a more eificient-car-brake than heretofore used hasbecome of great importance as a direct result of the improvement intransitsystems. Of the numerous experiments that have been made,including air, water, electric, and momentum brakes, railroad men agreethat no matter what power is employed the hand-brake under directcontrol of the motorman is the most satisfactory.

It is therefore the object of my invention to provide a hand-brake whichcannot become inoperative and which can instantly apply enough power tostop within a minimum of time and distance even the heaviest of modernstreet-railway cars.

My improvement consists in a car-brake comprising novel features ofconstruction to adapt it for use with a pair of car-trucks each havingfour wheels, as hereinafter described and specifically claimed.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure I is a top plan view of the trucks and wheels of a car, showingthe arrangement Fig. II is a detail side view of the lever-bar hanger.Fig. III is a detail bottom view of the said lever-bar hanger, showingalso the lever-bar and the sliding stirrups. Fig. IV is a detail viewshowing the manner in which I attach the chain of the brake-rod of thelever-bar to the hand crank-shaft. Fig. V is a side view of the mannerof securing the sliding stirrups to said pivoted lever-bar, showing thepivoted lever-bar in section. Fig. VI'is a detail bottom view of amodified form of hanger, showing what is known as a floating lever-bar.

1 is a sill of the car, to which the hand crank-shaft 2 is secured bymeans of a bracket 3. Atthe point where the brake-chain 5 is attached tothe shaft 2 is an arm 6, rigid with said shaft.

7 is the brake-rod, to the outer end of which the chain 5 is connectedand whose inner end is pivoted at 9 to the lever-bar 8. This leverbar 8is formed with parallel vertical sides 8, on which cylindrical rollers14 run, and is suspended from the car-body by means of a hanger 10,located between the car-trucks 19, each supported by two pairs of wheels20, and is pivoted therein by its center pivotpin 11. g

12 is a connecting-rod which is movably attached to the lever-bar 8 bymeans of a stirrup 13 and roller 14, running on one side of thelever-bar. The sidewise movement of each stirrup on the lever-bar 8 islimited on the outer end by a stop or pin 15, located across the path ofthe stirrup and adjacent to the brake-rod. An obliquelyarrangedbeam-lever 16, attached to the outer brakebeam 18 of the car-truck,compounds the power and is attached by the intermediate rod .17 to theinner brake-beam 18.

The corresponding parts at the opposite end of the lever-bar and car aremarked by the same numerals bearing prime-marks.

The operation of the device is as follows: WVhen the hand crank-shaft isturned, the arm 6 is revolved, which first draws the chain 5 about saidshaft with considerable more speed than if it were directly attachedthereto. The parts previous to turning the hand crank-shaft are in theposition shown in full lines in Fig. I, the roller 14 being at the endof the lever-bar 8 and the stirrup resting against the stop or pin 15.This position gives .the brake-beams their greatest throw or, in

other words, carries them quickly from aposition well free from thecar-wheels into close proximity therewith. The lever-bar 8, moved by thebrake-rod 7, is drawn toward the po sition shown in dotted lines in Fig.I, and as it moves the roller 14 runs along said leverbar toward thecenter pivot-pin 11. This movement of the stirrup away from the pointwhere the power is applied toward the fulcrum or point where thelever-bar 8 is pivoted will result in a given power, applying a muchgreater force to the brake-beams than if the stirrup 13 remained out atthe end of the lever-bar 8. The initial movement already describedthrows the brake-beams against or close to the wheels and the completedmovement applies a much greater force to the brake-beams just when suchforce is required.

It will be readily seen that the two ends of the lever-bar 8 workreciprocally and that the said lever-bar may be operated from either endof the car.

In Fig. VI, I have shown a modified form of hanger, in which thelever-bar 8 is secured thereto by means of what is known as a floatin gcenter pivot-pin The said hanger is provided with an elongated slot 21,in which works a centerpivot-pin 22, fastened to the lever-bar and onwhich the said lever-bar is fulcrumed. This construction possessesadvantages in that the whole force applied is equalized and distributedevenly to all the brake-beams used.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A car-brake comprising a lever-bar hav ing oppositely-extending armsformed with parallel vertical sides providing roller-tracks on oppositesides of the lever-bar and having stops adjacent to the ends of thearms, a hanger in which the lever-bar is centrally pivoted between thetrucks of the car, the inner and outer brake-beams, the oblique leverspivoted to the outer brake-beams, the intermediate rods connecting theinner ends of the oblique levers with the inner brake-beams, theconnecting-rods secured to the outer ends of the oblique levers, thestirrups secured directly to the connecting-rods, embracing the arms ofthe lever-bar, adapted to slide sidewise thereon, and limited in' theiroutward movement by the stops, the cylindrical rollers mounted in thestirrups and adapted to run on the opposite sides of the lever-bar, thecrank-shafts having arms, the brake-rods connected with the outer endsof the lever-bar, and the chains oonn eotin g the brake-rods with theshaft-arms; substantially as described.

2. A car-brake comprising a lever-bar having stops adjacent to its ends,a hanger having a slot and located between the trucks of the car, afloating pivot working in the slot and by which-the lever-bar iscentrally pivoted, the inner and outer brake-beams, the oblique leverspivoted to the outer brake.- beams, the intermediate rods connecting theinner ends of the oblique levers with the inner brake-beams, theconnectingrods secured to the outer ends of the oblique levers, thestirrups secured directly to the connecting-rods and adapted to slidesidewise on the arms of the lever-bar and limited in their outwardmovement by the stops, the rollers 6o on the opposite sides of thelever-bar, the

mounted in the stirrups and adapted to run

